Tarsem's THE FALL

[Shades_of_Gray]

Rented this the other day and I loved this film. This is one I will have to pick up later. The visuals were amazing and I found myself really into the story. A little silly at times, but that was part of its charm.

[FRAK]

Originally Posted by Shades_of_Gray

Rented this the other day and I loved this film. This is one I will have to pick up later. The visuals were amazing and I found myself really into the story. A little silly at times, but that was part of its charm.

Glad you liked it. This is one of our favorite films. We saw it in the theater, and it was one of the first Blu-rays my wife and I ever purchased when we switched to Blu.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by FRAK

Glad you liked it. This is one of our favorite films. We saw it in the theater, and it was one of the first Blu-rays my wife and I ever purchased when we switched to Blu.

Unfortunately, I missed this in theatres FRAK, but it was among my first half-dozen blind buys on Blu-ray. Since then, I've seen it 8 more times, and with Tarsem's Immortals due to open, it's been on my mind recently, so I watched it again this weekend.

Like the hallmark of any great film, The Fall is a near-perfect dreamstate, which I never tire of, and simply cannot watch in pieces. If I've seen 5 minutes of it, I've watched the whole darn thing. For two spellbinding hours, my pause button is a completely useless feature, and might as well not exist. The only other films that play that continuously and seamlessly for me are Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, 2001: a space odyssey, and strangely, Cronenberg's Dead Ringers. These works are so 'of a whole' that they exist for me only in their totality.

So much has been made of Tarsem's "visual indulgence" in The Fall, but I still don't get that criticism. All I saw was immense passion for the medium with an unapologetic quest for excellence on every level. This was an exceptionally "cinematic" undertaking, with so many of its ideas and emotions conveyed via some of the most richly imagined and elegantly designed mise-en-scene ever created. IMO, that attention to design detail was neither indulgent nor accidental...it's the very DNA of this reality vs. fantasy tale and no small part of its mystic spell. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but when a talented filmmaker believes in his project enough to fund it entirely out of pocket...well...indulge away if that's what you want to call it. I prefer the word "vision."

So few film fans have yet to see this remarkable work that I'm reluctant to give away specific scenes via further discussion, but just consider the quality of the storytelling in the opening credits alone. Apart from its jaw-dropping cinematography and cutting, what a brilliantly simple way to establish the silent era story context and setting.

As for AQ and PQ, this Blu-ray is top tier and remains one of the finest I've ever seen.

[amoergosum]

I just ordered the German 3-Disc Limited Collector's Edition.

>>>



...can't wait to watch it.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by amoergosum

I just ordered the German 3-Disc Limited Collector's Edition.
...can't wait to watch it.

Do us a review when you have. What are the contents of the set? My single US BD50 has the film, director's commentary, a decent making of and lots of stills from the film.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by amoergosum

I just ordered the German 3-Disc Limited Collector's Edition.

[Show spoiler]

...can't wait to watch it.

Ohhhhh...that is mighty tempting.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by amoergosum

I just ordered the German 3-Disc Limited Collector's Edition.

>>>



...can't wait to watch it.

Is the German blu-ray supposed to have better video/audio quality than the USA version or the same?

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Is the German blu-ray supposed to have better video/audio quality than the USA version or the same?

I'm actually trying to find that out, too.
Since the German version is a 25GB Blu-ray I guess the pq of the
US Blu-ray (50GB) might look a little better?
Amazon.de currently offers the German special edition for only EUR 12,97 so
I had to order it.

EDIT:
Ok...after thinking about it I cancelled my order. It's highly unlikely that a 25GB Blu-ray can match the pq of a 50GB Blu-ray.